July 14, 2011

Derek Jeter...Mentally and Physically Exhausted?

Saturday, after Derek Jeter became baseball's 28th member of the 3000 hit club, I questioned the apparent love affair with the New York Yankees shortstop.

What I found was this, Yankee haters hate Jeter as well...but (some) will go as far to saythey respect him. Seems simple enough.

But then, dude took the seemingly nationwide adulation and ignited a whole other firestorm by sitting out of the All-Star Game citing "mental and physical exhaustion".

Bob Young from the Arizona Republic caught up with some All-Stars during the festivities earlier this and asked them about Jeter's reasons behind not just sitting out of the game...but ignoring it completely.

"It's good to be here," injured New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes said. "As a baseball player you want to be at the All-Star Game, but we have to understand Jeter. He is coming off an injury, so it's good for him."

"I think Derek Jeter has been a great ambassador of the game," Kevin Youkilis from the Boston Red Sox added. "He's been huge for the game of baseball and had a great day the other day with his 3,000th hit. I don't think anybody can say anything bad about Derek Jeter not being here."

Naturally, members of the baseball fraternity will back the Yankees captain, but you can't expect fans to feel the same way.

Me? I don't know if I agree with Bob completely...but I do think that Jeter should have been in Arizona to, at the least, tip the cap (or whatever it was Brian Wilson did) and acknowledge the fans that have voted him in.